January 19, 2013

WOONSOCKET --- Defense has been the name of the game for St. Raphael this year, and on Thursday night, it was the Saintsâ tenacious âDâ that helped fetch them their sixth Division II victory against no defeats.
Junior forwards Rybecca Gonzalez and Kelsy Lynch shared contest-high scoring honors with 18 points each and had stellar games defensively to help the Saints create the bulk of Mount St. Charlesâ 32 turnovers and pave the way to a 77-36 crossover rout on the Mountiesâ court.
The Saints, who are in their first season as a Division II club after five straight losing seasons in the Division I ranks, raised their overall record to 8-2, and not only was this their seventh straight win, but also was it their ninth straight game in which their defense allowed fewer than 37 points.
âThatâs our motto,â veteran SRA coach Fred Saunders said of his teamâs defense. âWe have a pretty fast and athletic team, so Iâm going to utilize their athleticism defensively, and we feel like if we can play solid defense, weâre going to have a chance to win every game.â
Gonzalez enjoyed one of the finest games of her young career for the winners. In addition to her 18 points (just one off her career-high in scoring), she also ripped down a career-best 12 rebounds, recorded six of the Saintsâ 16 steals in the contest, and handed out four assists.
Lynch, who was the first player off the Saintsâ bench, was also excellent on the boards with 10 rebounds, the bulk of them coming off the defensive glass, and she blocked six shots.
Senior co-captain Lauren Gaj was also good for 14 points, Sevn Shittu added a fine all-around game with 11 points, six assists, and five steals, and Felicia Baccari had nine points.
As for the contest, there wasnât much drama in it. The Mounties scored the gameâs first points on a layup by Noreen Mulledy, but the Saints took over from there, and with 9:08 still to play in the first half, they took advantage of nine turnovers by the Mounties to storm out to a 21-3 command.
A jumper by Marissa Botelho gave the Saints their first 20-point lead (25-5) with 6:43 on the clock, and Shittu and Gaj supplied all the scoring during a 14-point run in the final 2Â˝ minutes of the half to make it a 43-12 game.
The Mounties, who dipped to 2-6 overall and are winless in five league games as the team and first-year head coach Jessica Sheil try to rebuild the program this winter, were led by Amy Schmittâs nine points and Mulledyâs seven.
For the Saints, the schedule promises to get a little bit tougher over the coming weeks. Awaiting them in the coming weeks are difficult tests against undefeated Division II-North foe Scituate and second-place Johnston, as well as the other âteam to beatâ in the Division II-Central ranks, Moses Brown.
âWeâve had a great start,â remarked Saunders. âWeâre new to this league, so we donât know all the teams yet. Weâre getting a feel and adjusting to the league â and I see the league is adjusting to us as well â but I like where our heads are right now. Weâre playing with a lot of confidence.